This invention relates to golf cart speedometers and odometers having electrical readout from a magnetic sensor in working relationship between an axle housing and a wheel rim.
Use of speedometers and odometers on golf carts as on other motorized vehicles is well known. None are known, however, to have readout of cart speed, drive distance, and lifetime-distance from a sensor attachable to an axle housing for rotational input from a rotation-mark collar on a wheel rim in a manner taught by this invention.
Examples of most-closely related known but yet different speedometers and odometers for golf carts are described in the following patent documents. U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,265, issued to Swanson on Feb. 21, 1989, described magnets on a hubcap plate for rotational encounter with a sensor extended radially from an internal bearing in the hubcap plate for electrical communication to an odometer on a golf cart. Similar to odometers on commercial trailers and other vehicle axles for evaluating tire mileage, U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,454 issued to Zeaman, et al. on Jul. 14, 1987, described a plurality of magnets in a wheel rim for rotational encounter with a sensor on a non-rotational pendulum for electronic communication to an odometer on the pendulum.
Examples of related but further different known speedometers and odometers for golf carts are described in the following patent documents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,284 issued to Lee, et al. on Nov. 4, 1997, described a stride-counter for measuring distance of walking to a golf ball from a strike position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,113, issued to Ewers on Feb. 4, 1997, described a yardage meter with rotational readout from an outside circumference of a golf-cart wheel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,518, issued to Bianco, et al. on Aug. 1, 1995, described a golfer-position indicator with satellite communication to the golfer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,679, issued to Metcalf on May 25, 1993, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,437, issued to Butler on Aug. 5, 1975, both described golf-cart odometers with rotational readout from an outside periphery of a golf-cart wheel.
Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention include convenient golf-cart attachment of a speedometer/odometer that also measures drive distances and calculates remaining fairway distances.
This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with a golf-cart speedometer/odometer having a rotation sensor positioned outward radially from an outside periphery of a cart-axle housing to proximity of an inside periphery of a rotation-mark collar on an inside periphery of a cart-wheel rim. Measurement of rotation of the rotation-mark collar from rotation of the cart-wheel rim is communicated electrically from the rotation sensor to the golf-cart speedometer/odometer which is positioned preferably proximate a dashboard of the golf cart for trip-distance readings in yards or meters in addition to speed and cumulative distance. Rotation-marking of the rotation-mark collar is preferably with a plurality of four mark magnets separated ninety degrees apart for a rotation sensor having a communication of passage of the four mark magnets for quarter turns of the cart-wheel rim. Optionally, the rotation-marking of the rotation-mark collar can be accomplished with a plurality of four magnetic-material markers to decrease magnetic field that could damage computers or medical equipment in the vicinity. Further optional, the rotation-marking of the rotation-mark collar can be with mechanical actuators for a mechanical rotation sensor.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.